Pianist and composer Conrad Tao — hailed by Vulture as “a phenomenal talent and a mighty creative force” — launches NLM’s 2025–2026 season with Echoes and Algorithms, an evening where technology, memory, and sound converge. The program features Tao’s Hot Air, a blend of classical and jazz influences, exploring the connection between traditional and contemporary music.

The evening also includes Ben Nobuto’s Tell Me Again, a vibrant exploration of fragmented memory, and a world premiere by Chris Mercer commissioned by Nova Linea Musica. John Supko’s One Hundred Thousand Billion Pieces blurs the line between human and machine, while Jürg Frey’s Extended Circular Music No. 2 offers a spacious, meditative counterpoint. Join us for a night where echoes of the past meet the algorithms for the future.

Featuring: Conrad Tao (piano)

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In Rare Birds, the dynamic Owls Quartet presents a vibrant array of musical treasures spanning centuries and continents. The program moves from the whimsical charm of Chick Corea’s Children’s Song No. 12 to Paul Wiancko’s earthy Vox Petra and Franghiz Ali-Zadeh’s rhythmic Rəqs. François Couperin’s timeless Les Barricades Mystérieuses meets the inventive Ricercar by Trollstilt, while Wiancko’s When The Night and Terry Riley’s Good Medicine offer soulful reflections. The evening culminates in a Nova Linea Musica commission and World Premiere by Gabriella Smith, capturing the wild spirit and discovery at the heart of the night.

Featuring: Alexi Kenney (violin), Ayane Kozasa (viola), Gabriel Cabezas (cello), and Paul Wiancko (cello)

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GRAMMY Award-winning Catalyst Quartet, praised for their “invariably energetic and finely burnished” performances and “earthly vigor,” presents "Against All Odds" — a stirring exploration of resilience, identity, and hope through a powerful and wide-ranging program.The evening moves from the poignancy of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz’s Madre la de los primores to the lively spirit of John Adams’ Fellow Traveler and the luminous beauty of Aftab Darvishi’s Daughters of Sol. Shostakovich’s searing Quartet No. 8 and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s vibrant String Quartet No. 1 further deepen the emotional landscape. The program also features two World Premieres by GRAMMY Award-winning Derrick Skye and Adriana Casarrubios, commissioned by Nova Linea Musica.

Featuring: Karla Donehew Perez (violin), Abi Fayette (violin), Paul Laraia (viola), and Karlos Rodriguez (cello)

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Threads of Melodic Silence brings together a program of rich and reflective works performed by the NLM Piano Trio: Rabia Brooke (violin), Haddon Kay (cello), and Lam Wong (piano). The evening features the world premiere of a Nova Linea Musica commission by Chicago’s own Stacy Garrop, written especially for the ensemble. Also on the program are Colors Through Piano Trio by Grammy Award-winning composer Jennifer Higdon, and Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 28 by Lera Auerbach—a work of vivid emotional contrasts that evokes the spirit of both Bach and Shostakovich.

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Adding a personal dimension to the evening, cellist Alexander Hersh performs a set of solo works, including Daniel Pesca’s quietly searching In Solitude, Marc Neikrug’s dramatic Petrus for cello and piano, and the world premiere of a newly composed piece based on the imaginative premise of music for another planet.

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Featuring: Rabia Brooke (violin), Lam Wong (piano), Haddon Kay (cello), and Alexander Hersh (cello)

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Grammy Award-winning Third Coast Percussion, praised by BBC Music Magazine for “impressively combining creative fearlessness with reverent precision,” presents The Drum Also Sings, an evening that celebrates the boundless possibilities of rhythm and sound.

The Drum Also Sings features the world premiere of an NLM-commissioned work by JaRon Brown, along with premieres and recent works by today’s leading composers. The program also includes a new piece by TCP ensemble member Robert Dillon, Andrea Venet’s electrifying Bulldog, Ivan Trevino’s luminous Watercolor Sun, and Jessie Montgomery’s striking Study No. 1. Jlin’s driving Derivative, Alexis Lam’s evocative Matters / Mind, and a new rhythmic exploration from Augusta Read Thomas further expand the evening’s soundscape, which culminates in Steve Reich’s iconic Music for Pieces of Wood. Join us at the Merit School of Music’s Gottlieb Hall for a thrilling night where percussion not only pulses — it sings.

Featuring: David Skidmore, Robert Dillion, Peter Martin, and Sean Conners

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Nova Linea Musica’s Artist-in-Residence series continues with Beyond the Art of Measures, an evening that celebrates the artistic journey from idea to realization.

Violinist Rabia Brooke gives the world premiere of Art Measures for Violin and Piano, a Nova Linea Musica commission by Jennifer Higdon, one of America’s most acclaimed composers and a three-time GRAMMY Award and Pulitzer Prize winner. The work traces the evolution of a creative idea—from the first spark of inspiration through the shaping and refinement of form—capturing both the mystery and physicality of the artistic process. Higdon honors the vital role performers play in bringing new music to life, measure by measure. The program also includes a meditative work by Shelly Washington's Peace for violin and piano along with the virtuosic Anthèmes 1 Pierre Boulez.

Sam Rosenthal performs four works for viola and piano: Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel or "mirror in the mirror" which unfolds through endlessly repeated piano fragments, gently echoing the viola’s serene lines; Keoni Bolding’s Paraphrase Act II; and two pieces by GRAMMY AWARD winner Michelle Barzel Ross, including Where Things Weigh Nothing at All and a commission by Nova Linea Musica. Collaborative pianist Lam Wong, joins both these artists in this compelling celebration of sound and creation.

Featuring: Rabia Brooke (violin), Sam Rosenthal (viola), and Lam Wong (piano)

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Nova Linea Musica proudly presents L’dor v’dor—“from generation to generation”—a moving tribute to the legacy and evolution of Jewish American composers. Soprano Arianna Zukerman, mezzo-soprano Heather Johnson, and pianist Jason Wirth come together for an evening of vocal works that reflect cultural memory, resilience, and artistic innovation. The program features music by Leonard Bernstein, Laura Kaminsky, Ricky Ian Gordon, Laura Karpman, David Leisner, and Alex Weiser, and concludes with the world premiere of a powerful new work by David Hanlon.

Featuring: Arianna Zukerman (soprano), Heather Johnson (mezzo-soprano), and Jason Wirth (piano)

Nova Linea Musica’s season finale brings together vibrant voices from around the world in Bloom under Blue Skies, a night of bold premieres and cross-cultural resonance. At the heart of the program is the world premiere of a Nova Linea Musica commission by Grammy-nominated composer Clarice Assad, whose music pulses with rhythmic vitality, expressive nuance, and Brazilian warmth.

The evening also features Leon First’s shimmering Two Slovenian Songs, Hakki Cengiz Eren’s atmospheric Three Portals with guitarist Mak Grgić, and David Ludwig’s Prima Variations, performed by Black Oak Ensemble and Grgić. To close, Rabia Brooke joins Grgić for selections from Piazzolla’s sultry Histoire du Tango. Join us for a celebration of global artistry in full bloom.